【Team Excellent Era's Hidden Secret】
by SilverReplay
Summary: Now that they were actually paying attention...Vice Captain...wasn't he…? [] Prompt Fill for QZGS Rarepair Week 2018: Day 1: beach / (money) / parting


**【** **Team Excellent Era's Hidden Secret** **】**

 **Chapters:** 1/1

 **Fandom:** 全职高手 | The King's Avatar (Cartoon), 全职高手 - 蝴蝶蓝 | Quánzhí Gāoshǒu - Húdié Lán

 **Rating:** Teen And Up Audiences

 **Relationships:** Sū Mùchéng & Yè Xiū, Wú Xuěfēng & Yè Xiū, Wú Xuěfēng/Yè Xiū, Jiā shì | Team Excellent Era & Yè Xiū

 **Characters:** Yè Xiū, Sū Mùchéng, Wú Xuěfēng, Jiā shì | Team Excellent Era

 **Additional Tags:** Probably ooc, Original Character(s), Alternate Universe - Crack, Fluff and Crack, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Crack Treated Seriously, Set Season 1 of Glory Professional Alliance, Little Captain is Forever, One Shot, Vice Captain Wu Xuefeng, Little Captain Ye Xiu, Precious Su Mucheng, bless her soul, no beta we die like men

 **Series:** Part 1 of 2018 QZGS Rarepair Collection

 **Summary:** _Now that they were actually paying attention…Vice Captain…wasn't he…?_

 **Notes:**

Prompt Fill for QZGS Rarepair Week 2018:

 _Day 1: beach / **money** / parting_

though pretty much all three were incorporated, just the other two to a lesser extent

 **【** **Team Excellent Era's Hidden Secret** **】**

1.

Yawning, Wen Kai walked into the common room and waved in greeting to the other occupants, who all just nodded in return. A quick glance around showed that their group was short three members. It took his sleepy mind a moment to register who exactly was missing, and when it did, Wen Kai immediately groaned, his palm meeting his forehead in exasperation. "No need to tell me," he said, flopping onto the sofa next to a dozing blond. "Vice Captain's waking up Little Captain again?"

"Mn," the blond mumbled, shoving Wen Kai to the side when he felt the other jostle him slightly. Raising a fist to rub away the sleep in his eyes, the blond straightened a bit from his slouched position. "As always," Ren Yijun unsuccessfully beat back a yawn, causing his words to sound lofty and distorted.

"When is he not," Fei Min snorted, walking in from the kitchen next door. "The kid's eighteen already, yet Xuefeng treats him like he's Little Mumu's age." A mug of steaming black coffee was being cradled preciously within his hands, and when a tan pair of hands tried to snatch it away, Fei Min growled and kicked the other in the shin.

"Oi!" Li Chenyu exclaimed, a pout on his childish features. Despite being nearly twenty-two, he still was rather baby-faced, making his glares look 'adorably cute' as the others would tease him. "Gimme some, Fei Min."

Fei Min simply rolled his eyes and bumped his shoulder into the rowdy brunet. "There's a pot in the kitchen. Grab some yourself, Chenyu."

"But it's too farrrrr," Li Chenyu whined, throwing himself over Fei Min's back, arms wrapped around Fei Min's neck. "Pleaseeeee? Just one tiny sip?"

"Nope," Fei Min stated, taking a seat on the sofa opposite Wen Kai and Ren Yijun. "You don't need the caffeine," he drily said before downing half of the mug of coffee, regardless of the hot temperature.

Wen Kai inwardly winced upon seeing him do that. Wasn't the coffee extremely hot? How could Fei Min just drink it like that? He brushed aside a few stray black bangs and checked his watch—6:15 AM. Didn't Su Mucheng need to go to school soon? Wen Kai glanced around, eyeing his fellow teammates. As if sensing his gaze, they all nonchalantly looked away, none of them desiring the task of retrieving the missing trio.

"Fine, I'll sacrifice myself this morning, but tomorrow, it's your turn, Yijun." Wen Kai stood up and threw a glare at the blond, who only waved him off and went back to snuggling the sofa pillows. Looking up at the ceiling in prayer, he backtracked his steps and went to the bedroom a few doors down from his room. Neatly written on the wooden plaque in black ink was 'Ye Xiu — (Little) Captain,' with 'Su Mucheng (Honored Little Sister)' tacked on beneath.

Bracing himself, he knocked thrice and was received with a soft 'Come in.' He opened the door slowly, cautiously entering. The moment he saw the scene, he immediately averted his eyes.

 _Fuck their mothers. Why am I usually the one to be force fed dog food? Because I'm the next youngest?!_ Inwardly despairing, Wen Kai clenched his jaw and took a few seconds to compose himself. "Vice Captain, they need to wake up." There, he said it. Time to leave. With that, Wen Kai fled the nauseatingly diabetic scene.

* * *

2.

An amused smile on his lips, Wu Xuefeng watched Wen Kai leave, his ponytail swishing behind him in his haste. He exhaled softly and stopped carding his fingers through soft, downy black hair. Placing his hand against a thin—he frowned and made a note to feed his Little Captain more—shoulder, Wu Xuefeng shook it softly as he whispered, "Little Yeye, time to wake up."

He was awarded with snuffling and Ye Xiu burrowing deeper into his lap.

Fondness flooded his eyes at seeing the exact same scene from half an hour before repeat itself. He stretched his arm to shake Su Mucheng awake, causing light brown eyes to flutter open quickly.

"Brother Xuefeng?" she asked in a sleep-dazed voice. "Ah, good morning." She sat up and glanced down at the still slumbering Excellent Era Captain. "Brother still isn't waking up? He really loves his sleep," she commented as she slipped out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

"More like he didn't listen again and stayed up longer than he should playing," Wu Xuefeng replied, his fingers instinctively going back to running through Ye Xiu's hair. "I'm surprised you didn't wake up when I tucked him in last night."

"He doesn't snore as loud as Big Brother did," Su Mucheng called out, not bothering to keep her voice quiet. Ye Xiu was already awake, after all, just not fully.

"No one snores as loud as Little Muqiu did," Wu Xuefeng laughed, shaking his head in remembrance. Ren Yijun had demanded to change rooms to the one farthest from Su Muqiu's, stating that he needed his beauty sleep unlike others. The one he previously had was right beside Su Muqiu's old one, the one no one touched to this day. Su Mucheng had simply packed things up and boxed them before moving her things into Ye Xiu's room.

She claimed it was too quiet and lonely, and none of them protested this move despite her being a girl rooming with someone of the opposite gender. No one could resist Su Mucheng's puppy dog eyes except perhaps Ye Xiu—if he was willing to oppose her for once.

"Shush." A finger pressed against Wu Xuefeng's lips sloppily before falling back to the bed.

"Little Yeye, breakfast. I'll take you to your favorite restaurant, too. As many _jiānbĭng_ [1] as you want," Wu Xuefeng tempted, voice lowering unconsciously.

"Hmm?" Amber-gold peeked out from behind long black lashes. "Promise? No congee?"

"One bowl."

"Okay." Ye Xiu slid off of Wu Xuefeng's lap and padded his way over to the bathroom, greeting Su Mucheng with a wave as she exited.

"More _jiānbĭng_?" She wryly smiled at the slightly sheepish look that crossed Wu Xuefeng's face. In the time it took Wu Xuefeng to convince Ye Xiu to wake up, she had already dressed in her school uniform—a white polo with a dark red trim, dark red pants, and a school jacket in white and dark red.

Wu Xuefeng shrugged half-heartedly and stood up from the bed, brushing off imaginary dust as he did so. "It got him to wake up," Wu Xuefeng answered evasively. It was no secret that he gave Ye Xiu a bit too much leniency. "You ready to go?"

She grabbed her school bag and books. After checking to make sure she had packed everything she needed for class, she nodded and said, "Just waiting for a certain _slowpoke_ to come out now." She raised her voice when she said 'slowpoke,' jabbing at Ye Xiu still being in the bathroom.

"Not everyone is as naturally pretty rolling out of bed as you, Mucheng," Ye Xiu commented, his hair still as messy as earlier. Other than changing out of his sleepwear, he had simply brushed his teeth and washed his face before returning to them.

"Come on, you two. It's already nearing six-thirty." Wu Xuefeng gestured toward the door with his head, his phone already out and reserving them spots at the restaurant. As Ye Xiu passed him by, Wu Xuefeng reached out and briskly combed Ye Xiu's bedhair into a somewhat neatened appearance.

Glancing up at the taller male, Ye Xiu smiled briefly in thanks before ducking out of Wu Xuefeng's grasp and darting out.

* * *

3.

"Morning, everyone," Ye Xiu greeted upon seeing the rest of the team—the main roster at least. Most of the reserve team stayed in their own apartments, whereas this group trained so much that it was easier living at the clubhouse.

He got several 'Good morning's and 'Hey's in reply, as well as one-armed hugs and fist bumps.

"Little Captain," Wu Xuefeng called out from beside the exit, drawing everyone's attention. "Come on, your _jiānbĭng_ awaits."

"Aiya, you're treating Little Captain out again, Vice Captain?" Li Chenyu complained. "What about us? When are you going to treat us to a meal?"

"Maybe when you guys beat Royal Style this weekend," Wu Xuefeng tossed back. He shrugged on a light coat for the autumn weather and pulled another one off the rack for Ye Xiu, slipping it around the teen for him.

"Tch, it's the same every morning, Chenyu. Why are you still whining," Fei Min grumbled from behind his third mug of coffee.

"Can you at least bring some back for us, Vice Captain?" Ren Yijun muffledly called out from his faceplant position on the sofa.

"It'll be easier to just order it for ourselves," Wen Kai sighed, watching the trio leave. "They won't be back for another hour and a half at least. You're footing the bill this time, Yijun."

Ren Yijun popped his head up, blond hair mussed and a frown on his face. "Why me?"

"Because Fei Min bought yesterday's breakfast and Li Chenyu grabbed us all lunch and dinner from the cafeteria down the street," Wen Kai replied, grabbing Ren Yijun's phone from the coffee table and tossing it at the indignant blond.

"I want _yóutiáo_ ," [2] Li Chenyu piped in.

"Same," Fei Min commented, downing the rest of his coffee and exhaling in satisfaction.

"Just get me some _dòuhuā_ ," [3] Wen Kai tossed over his shoulder as he went to check on their various social media accounts. Since Excellent Era was still starting out, they didn't have a team of publicists helping them manage their reputation, so he was saddled with the role—not that he minded much. He was planning to get a Public Relations degree before he found himself playing Glory professionally instead.

"Fine, fine," Ren Yijun sighed, ordering all of their requests with a few clicks and taps. He added in a massive order for steamed buns for the rest of the team that was going to trickle in the next hour. "Someone's grumpy this morning."

"You jerks made me witness Vice Captain pampering Little Captain again," Wen Kai said, eyes not moving away from the computer monitor.

"Are they even together?" Li Chenyu mused from his perch on the sofa armrest, attention pulled away from his phone when this topic was brought up.

"Don't know." Fei Min sighed. "Does it really matter? Vice Captain and Little Captain run things tight, and it doesn't affect the team much."

" _Much_ ," Wen Kai grumbled. "More like we've all gotten used to the daily dose of sugar overload more like."

" _It doesn't affect the team much_ ," Fei Min repeated, stressing the line. "Who are we to barge into their happiness. Little Mumu doesn't have anything against it, and she has the greatest right to."

"Still~" Li Chenyu flopped onto Fei Min's lap only to get shoved harshly off, crashing onto the carpeted floor. "Ow," he rubbed his shoulder—which had taken most of the impact—before continuing, "it's a what, five-six year age difference?"

"Vice Captain won't do anything to harm Little Captain," Ren Yijun said with a note of finality. "Like Fei Min said, just leave them be." He then muttered something softly that caused Wen Kai—the one closest to him still—to freeze.

"Wait, repeat that again louder?" Wen Kai asked, eyes wide. He swiveled in his chair to face the rest of them, but Ren Yijun more specifically.

"Uh, he might not even realize what he looks like, spoiling Little Captain like this?" Ren Yijun offered, a hand running through his short, cropped blond hair.

"Shit," Li Chenyu swore, seeing the looks of realization and despair in all of his fellow victims' eyes.

* * *

4.

The bright laughter alerted the room to the return of their precious Little Captain. "Brother Xuefeng," they heard, that young voice still caught in the midst of laughing. The rest was too soft for them to catch.

"Little Captain, Vice Captain, back from breakfast?" Wen Kai asked, hand tossed up in greeting. He was disposing of the plastic container his _dòuhuā_ came in, having just finished. The others had long finished eating and were lounging around in the common room. The reserve team had already been sent off to train in the second computer room.

"Yea, let's go. Glory awaits." Ye Xiu beamed, in a good mood after consuming plate after plate of _jiānbĭng_. Patting his stuffed tummy absentmindedly, he turned to say to Wu Xuefeng, "Brother Xuefeng, just give the second bag of snacks to Li Chenyu. He can rush to deliver it to Huan Shirong and the others."

Wu Xuefeng nodded in agreement and handed it off to the speechless brunet, who had not expected to be saddled with the job of delivery boy.

"Hey, why me and not someone like Yijun!" Li Chenyu complained.

"You'll have enough energy to come back, unlike Sleepyhead," Ye Xiu nonchalantly replied, to which Ren Yijun agreed. Anything to get out of having to do extra work. Not like he minded the nickname either—at least it wasn't something like _sleeping beauty_.

"Hmph." Huffing in annoyance, Li Chenyu accepted the bag of snacks and went to hand it off to the reserve team.

"Go off and start them on their training," Wu Xuefeng said to Ye Xiu. "I'll go grab some of the snacks I made last night as well, sausage buns [4] and some skewers—both meat and fruit." He handed the other bag of snacks to Ye Xiu and left for the kitchen to grab the finger foods from the refrigerator.

Fei Min, Wen Kai, and Ren Yijun exchanged uneasy looks. Now that they were actually paying attention...Vice Captain...wasn't he…?

* * *

5.

Wu Xuefeng glanced at the empty plates littering the table where he and Ye Xiu sat. On the other table, where the rest of the main roster were seated, empty wrappers were piled messily wherever there was space. A look at the clock told him it was already past lunch, causing a frown to cross his face.

"Little Captain, we're training through lunch?" A tone of reprimand seeped into his voice.

Ye Xiu started and glanced at the previously ignored clock. "Ah? Oh, it's past noon," Ye Xiu discovered. "Um…it's the cafeteria lunch rush right now."

Wu Xuefeng sweatdropped. Fei Min, Wen Kai, Li Chenyu, and Ren Yijun glanced over from their computers, curiosity in their gazes. They didn't mind playing through lunch, since the snacks were enough to tide them over till an early dinner. None of them wanted to wait in long lines.

"I'll order rice noodles then from your favorite restaurant." Decisively, Wu Xuefeng declared his intent and pulled out his phone to order.

Ye Xiu's eyes lit up. "Thanks, Brother Xuefeng. Alright guys, go order lunch for yourselves; we'll take a break when food arrives. Otherwise, back to dungeoning for rare materials."

At the moment, they were all playing alternate accounts on the first server to farm dungeons. Of course, since this was routine by now, Ye Xiu had been making up random challenges to increase the difficulty, like pulling his beloved 'one wave rush' tactic on higher difficulty dungeons or aiming to smash the records previously set by other guilds. When a wild boss spawned, he also dragged the team as well as the reserve to help. This was their 'downtime' practice, allowing their minds to relax somewhat from the training regimes he and Wu Xuefeng had created for the team. Unlike the other professional teams with far more stable foundations, their grassroots team had to chip in to help the guild more often. Luckily, no one on the team minded, since Ye Xiu had infected them all with his passionate love for playing Glory.

Fei Min added another point to the mental 'Ways Vice Captain Spoils Little Captain' list he had been keeping track of and couldn't prevent himself from sighing. This...was really not looking good. "I'll order something. Gong Bao fine with you guys?" [5]

"Sure, thanks for treating," Wen Kai replied quickly. He was fine with most dishes. Suddenly remembering something, he tacked on, "Make sure to order yours separate, Fei Min. Not all of us can handle as much spice as you can."

"Right." Fei Min nodded and pulled up a nearby restaurant they frequented some nights. Delivery shouldn't take more than fifteen to twenty minutes.

"I'll take dinner then," Li Chenyu offered, the words coming out muffled since he was munching through a rice cake. Surrounding him were piles of empty rice cake packagings, some of which were already falling to the floor.

"Chenyu, can't you, you know, be a bit more tidy?" Wen Kai asked, gesturing to the mess Li Chenyu had been making.

Ren Yijun, fully awake now that it was the afternoon, laughed. "Lost hope right there, Kaikai. Li Chenyu can't be neat to save his life."

"Hey, don't call me Kaikai!" Wen Kai instantly exploded the moment that dreaded nickname left Ren Yijun's mouth. Curse his mother for talking loud enough through the phone one day for the others to hear—they never let him live down such a cutesy nickname!

"Yo," Ye Xiu finally piped up, their argument loud enough to draw a slight bit of his attention away from the game. "Back to dungeoning, everyone."

"Gotcha, Little Captain."

"Right, understood."

"Sorry, will do."

"Don't you have a meeting with Boss Tao soon?"

Wen Kai's question fully captured Ye Xiu's attention. Furrowing his brows, Ye Xiu couldn't remember if he did have a meeting with Tao Xuan soon.

Wu Xuefeng, seeing Ye Xiu's look of puzzled concentration, stated, "You do, but after you eat."

"Ah, okay." Ye Xiu went back to gaming, trusting Wu Xuefeng's information to be accurate.

"Vice Captain, you know Little Captain's schedule well." Ren Yijun tested the waters, because the conversation from earlier that morning had truly been...enlightening.

Wu Xuefeng didn't pay them much mind and hummed, saying, "Of course, my Little Captain depends on me for many things."

That wording made Wen Kai wince. Could Wu Xuefeng be any more confusing, any more implicative, with his word choice?

Li Chenyu sighed loudly and tossed his half-eaten rice cake into the trash can, no longer in the mood to snack.

Fei Min cradled his head in his hands, the end of his patience nearing.

Ren Yijun's shoulders drooped, his fingers slowing drastically—which caused alarmed shouts to originate from his headset. He forced himself back to normal upon hearing the shouts from the dungeon team made up of guild elites and reserve members. As the cleric of the team, it really wasn't proper for his attention to waver, even if Excellent Era rarely fielded clerics even in group matches. In fact, Ye Xiu's 'no cleric' policy had Ren Yijun playing an Elementalist in order to not be stuck on the bench so often.

Ye Xiu turned around to glance at them, a look of confusion on his faces. What was wrong with his team? A touch on his arm shifted his gaze from the frustrated members of Excellent Era to his Vice Captain.

"Leave them be," Wu Xuefeng said with his ever-present soft smile.

Ye Xiu quirked his lips in contemplation but ended up nodding. "Alright, come on, Brother Xuefeng. I just got sent coordinates to a wild boss!"

Wu Xuefeng reached out and patted Ye Xiu's head. "Understood, Little Captain."

Fei Min just buried his head deeper into his hands for a moment before sighing and maneuvering his idling Sharpshooter over to the wild boss as well.

Li Chenyu and Wen Kai did the same with their Spellblade and Striker respectively, whereas Ren Yijun was still stuck clearing a dungeon at the moment, though he began rushing the team the moment he heard about the wild boss sighting. Hunting a wild boss was always more fun than running the same-old dungeon over and over again.

* * *

6.

"Ai, sounds like someone is at the door. Fei Min, can you grab it?" Wen Kai asked, gaze focused on the skin as his fingers flew across the keys.

Fei Min rolled his eyes and replied, "Unless one of us finishes this speed training Little Captain set up, they're just going to have to wait." Lights flashed across his screen, causing him to curse. His handspeed increased to make up for the mistake. When his screen darkened, he slammed his hands down on the table. "Fine, I'll go then."

"Pfft." Li Chenyu tried to muffle his mirth but failed. "I just finished, but go ahead, Fei Min. Maybe take a walk to calm down before you wring Kaikai's neck."

"Tch." Fei Min stalked out of the room and toward the entrance.

Ren Yijun took off his headset then. "Eh? What did I miss."

Wen Kai tossed him a look of confusion for a brief second, though his fingers kept repetitively tapping out the combinations appearing on the screen. "Oh, you had your volume up again."

Ren Yijun nodded. "Yea, I score better when I can hear the music." He glanced around, cataloguing that there was only the three of them left in the room now. "Where did Fei Min go?"

"To send off some reporter who came looking for Little Captain or Vice Captain probs," Li Chenyu answered, popping his bubblegum. "Not like either of them are here at the moment."

"Oh, are you guys done?" Ye Xiu's voice suddenly rang out, causing all of them to swivel their heads toward the door. "You should have moved up to the next higher level if it is too easy."

"Little Captain! Welcome back," Wen Kai greeted, nonchalantly exiting the program and hiding the failure screen.

Li Chenyu, not having anything to hide, bounded up and threw an arm around the barely shorter teen. "How was the meeting with the head honcho, Little Captain?"

Ye Xiu gave the arm suddenly thrown over his shoulder a blank stare before sighing and leaving it be. "Fine, just dealing with some logistics. He's still kind of annoyed that I won't show my face."

Li Chenyu smiled in amusement and ruffled Ye Xiu's hair. "With an adorable face like yours? It's a shame, but then again, that just means you're ours only!" His smile widened into a toothy grin as he ruffled Ye Xiu's hair harder, causing the teen to wave his hands and try to escape.

A hard smack to the back of Li Chenyu's head stopped his antics.

"Vice Captain~" he whined, but he backed off nonetheless.

"Do I need to double your training, Chenyu? Get back to work." Wu Xuefeng led Ye Xiu by the small of his back toward their computers. Ye Xiu sent him a thankful expression for the save and brushed a hand quickly through his hair to fix his bangs, as Li Chenyu's roughhousing left them blocking his vision.

Someone knocked against the door—or kicked against the door to be more precise. Wen Kai got up to open it, to find himself face to fac with a large cardboard box.

"Huh?" He tilted his head in confusion, only to get shoved into and pushed to the side.

"Move out of the way, idiot," Fei Min grumbled from behind the box. He walked over to Ye Xiu and Wu Xuefeng's area and dropped the box on their table. "This, I believe, is yours."

"Oh, it came," Wu Xuefeng remarked. Pulling his keys from his pockets, he sliced through the tape and opened it up.

"Hmm, what did you get." Ye Xiu peered over the edges of the box in curiosity.

"New clothing for you and Little Mumu. You're already outgrowing your clothes, and hers are getting a bit thin."

Fei Min stared blankly at his Vice Captain before loudly smacking himself in the face with his palm. Wen Kai froze as he was sitting down, hovering in mid-air. Music echoed slightly from Ren Yijun's discarded headset on the floor, Ren Yijun's hands slack against his side. He had been in the middle of putting his headset back on before the shock made him drop them. Li Chenyu just collapsed on the floor, done with the world.

Their Vice Captain...was he actually Little Captain's—?

* * *

7.

The next few hours of training proceeded in near silence, with only the occasional command given out or the sound of tapping keys and mouse clicks. None of them could bear accepting the realization that had just dawned on them, whereas Ye Xiu and Wu Xuefeng remained oblivious to the turmoil of the rest of the team.

When Su Mucheng arrived, having returned from school, Wen Kai nearly sighed in relief. Perhaps she would make things sane again?

"How have you all been?" she asked, her voice bright and cheery. Fei Min casually offered her a bottle of iced water and went back to his desk, empty-handed. "Thanks," she beamed.

Li Chenyu coughed upon seeing this common scene. When was Fei Min going to stop pretending that he didn't have a soft spot for Su Mucheng, to the point where he would keep track of time and grab water in anticipation of her arrival? "We've been great, Little Mumu. You?" Li Chenyu asked, one hand stretched out to receive her jacket.

"Oh, thank you," she said as she handed it over. She went over to her designated work area and set her backpack against her chair. "Apparently my class is going to the beach during the beginning of Golden Week as a class bonding event." [6]

Ye Xiu paused, his hand stilling above the keyboard. He turned to face her and asked as he slipped off his headset, "Do you want to go?"

Although they didn't have much funds to spare at the moment, if she really did want to go, he would have made things work.

"It's fine." She flashed him a smile in reassurance. "I'd rather stay here with you guys."

Li Chenyu frowned. "You don't do anything but your homework here, and Golden Week is supposed to be a break. I mean, some of us will be playing Glory still even on our days off—because they have no life," he eyed Ye Xiu in particular, who just shrugged shamelessly—his life was Glory. Li Chenyu continued, "But you should go off and have fun. If you guys...can't afford it at present, I'm willing to chip in and cover for part of the expenses."

"I will, too," Fei Min stated, arms crossed and resting atop the back of his seat.

"If you really want to go, then go, Little Mumu." Ren Yijun smiled at her softly in encouragement.

Wen Kai nodded in agreement. "We all love you like a little sister. This is but a drop in the bucket."

"No, really, guys," Su Mucheng protested. "I'm fine not going. Besides, I might end up missing my shows if I go!" At this, everyone broke out into laughter. Yes, separating Su Mucheng from her dramas was indeed a dangerous endeavor.

"Alright, if that's what you want," Ye Xiu said, a tinge of sadness flickering within his eyes. He wanted to give her more, but with only him supporting their small family...his contract salary was not that high in a newly started eSports league like Glory. In addition, Excellent Era really couldn't afford to treat Golden Week as it was meant to be—they would fall too far behind the other teams if they did.

"Besides!" Su Mucheng tapped her index finger against her cheek, a teasing smile on her lips. "Did you all forget that you still have a match on October 3rd before the Alliance gives you a break? I'm not missing out on that."

"Oh, right; you have such a good memory, Little Mumu," Wen Kai said with a grin. "I can't believe we forgot; isn't that the match against Tyranny?"

"Yea, I'll be facing Old Han that day," Ye Xiu commented. "I wonder how much he has improved since our last duel."

"One Autumn Leaf versus Desert Dust, record…" Su Mucheng trailed off. "Some high number to some high number. You guys fight too much and don't bother to keep track, so how should I know when I'm not even there half the time." She shrugged helplessly, though her eyes crinkled slightly at the corners in mirth.

"If you do want to go to the beach, we can go next summer, after the playoffs," Wu Xuefeng cut in.

"Ah?" Ye Xiu turned to look at Wu Xuefeng with wide eyes. "Brother Xuefeng," he started, only to get interrupted.

"I'll bring you guys to Sanya Bay, and don't worry about the cost. I'll cover it," Wu Xuefeng elaborated with a gentle smile. "I've been there before; you'll both love it."

Ye Xiu opened his mouth to automatically refuse, only to pause and turn to face Su Mucheng, a questioning look in his eyes. His lips were in a thin line, his hesitation clear, but he was leaving the decision ultimately to her.

He remembered such vacations in his youth, back with his family. She never had such opportunities, and it was not right for him to deny her the chance.

"If…" Su Mucheng twisted her lips into a pout, contemplating. The beach did sound fun, and it would do good for Ye Xiu to get some sun in him. Being inside all the time, playing Glory, was not healthy! Wu Xuefeng paying for it all though...even if she was getting used to him doing this often the last couple of weeks, it was still a tad uncomfortable. Neither she nor Ye Xiu enjoyed being in anyone's debt, but at the same time, it was _Wu Xuefeng._ He was the one to pick up the slack when Su Muqiu's death shattered both her and Ye Xiu. She knew now that they were both inconsolable back then; none of the other Excellent Era members were able to comfort them the way Wu Xuefeng had. He had stayed with them for the nightmares, when she used to dream that her brother had bled to death alone—that perhaps she or Ye Xiu had been there, and her _foolish, self-sacrificing big brother_ had pushed either of them out of the way of the incoming car.

She knew that was just her imagination, but it still kept her—and thus Ye Xiu—up at night. Wu Xuefeng would come in with hot cocoa and simply sit there, some piano music playing from his phone perhaps, and let them take comfort in his presence. He was the one to help pitch in when funding was a bit tight those first few weeks with funeral arrangements and such; and, now that she thought about it, he just never left their little family circle, creating a niche for himself in their still family of three.

"Sure," she softly said, head tilted to the side. A sad smile touched her lips, but she quickly cleared her thoughts. "That sounds like fun. Thanks, Brother Xuefeng!"

"I guess we'll be in your care, Brother Xuefeng," Ye Xiu joined in, an equally soft but understanding smile on his face.

Wu Xuefeng simply nodded, having seen their quiet byplay.

"Xuefeng," Fei Min started, finally interceding. This was really going too far for his comfort.

Li Chenyu interrupted Fei Min, however, "Vice Captain, are you really going to take Little Captain and Little Mumu to Sanya?" _On your dime?_ was left unsaid, but it still rang out as clear as day.

"We can make it a team vacation," Wen Kai suggested. "Pooling funds and doubling up on rooms should lessen the costs."

"You guys have your own families to spend time with," Wu Xuefeng rained on their parade instantly. "Besides, a trip to Sanya doesn't cost much."

 _Doesn't cost much? Do you know how much a trip costs for one person, let alone three? Seven thousand yuan on average!_

Wen Kai grimaced, realizing, _Should probably double the estimate knowing how much Vice Captain will spoil the two, choosing first class and a five star hotel while he was at it._

Wu Xuefeng's chose to vibrate then. Ye Xiu peeked at the screen and saw that their meal had arrived. "Brother Xuefeng, the food is here."

"Here." Wu Xuefeng handed over a black card. "I've got it under your name too, so just keep it and use as needed. Little Mucheng, this is yours." He took out another one and passed it over to Su Mucheng, who simply stared at it with wide eyes.

"Brother Xuefeng, isn't this...too much?" Even she felt uncomfortable holding such a high-end card.

"Oh, thanks." Ye Xiu grabbed the card and went to retrieve their food. He was used to black credit cards and didn't seem to realize the difference from a regular credit card and a VIP credit card, let alone a black card with no credit limits.

"..." The rest of the team had no words. _Little Captain, are you that out of touch with society?_

"Okay, Wu Xuefeng, enough is enough," Ren Yijun declared.

"You've been paying for practically everything for Captain and Su Mucheng," Li Chenyu interjected, refraining from the use of nicknames.

"It's getting out of hand." Wen Kai sent Wu Xuefeng a look of exasperation.

"In short, you do know you're their sugar daddy, right?" Fei Min cut straight to the chase.

Silence filled the room. Su Mucheng glanced back and forth between the four and Wu Xuefeng, confusing clearing up from her gaze as the realization set in.

"Um...Brother Xuefeng…" She had no idea what to say to this.

"They need the support," Wu Xuefeng stated, voice weak. "I have the money to spare." His justification fell flat, his face draining of color as Fei Min's words settled into his brain.

" _He_ needs the support, you mean," Fei Min corrected, annoyance radiating from his entire being. "We know you love Captain Ye, but _please_ , for the sake of our sanity, _keep it to the bedroom only and leave us out of it._ "

"..." Su Mucheng and Wu Xuefeng exchanged glances, the former in surprise and realization, the latter in shock and a bit of dread.

"Oh…" Ye Xiu stood in the doorway, a stack of takeout boxes carefully held within his arms. His gaze swept the room, looking for a place to set the food down. Once done, he turned back to look at everyone, his eyes resting on each person briefly before returning to focus on his Vice Captain.

"You could have just told me, Xuefeng," Ye Xiu commented.

"..." Wen Kai just shielded his eyes in anticipation, whereas Li Chenyu threw his hands up into the air, the only thing preventing him from storming out would be the fact that it would cause him to miss _finally_ seeing things be resolved. Fei Min slumped back down in his seat, understanding from the scene just now that _no, their Captain and Vice Captain were not originally dating, but now they might start._ Ren Yijun just stared at the soon-to-be-couple, too flabbergasted that the PDA they were originally subjected to _was not as lovey-dovey as the two could get._

"You're still too young, and our focus should be on winning the championship," Wu Xuefeng said plainly, shoulders a bit down and drooping. His gaze carefully avoided Ye Xiu's person, awkwardness exuding from his larger frame. A touch at the cheek forced him to look at Ye Xiu, who simply smiled softly.

"Later, then." Standing on his toes, he pressed a kiss to Wu Xuefeng's cheek before rocking back on his heels. "Now come on, let's eat before going back to Glory."

Wu Xuefeng stared after him, a hand covering where Ye Xiu just touched. Warmth spread out from beneath his fingers, and he didn't know what to say.

 _He hadn't meant to become Ye Xiu's sugar daddy, but it was the simplest way to show that he cared, to show that he was there for them and was able to support them._

 _Wu Xuefeng had never expected things to end up this way—but now that he knew Ye Xiu was willing, well, there was no holding back now._

(Wu Xuefeng didn't know that Ye Xiu had seen such tactics before, though more poorly executed. His parents were a prime example, and he had seen his younger twin flail about trying to court someone in the upper circle before giving up and going back to his sports. Wu Xuefeng did it so smoothly that Ye Xiu hadn't even realized till now. Plus, it wasn't like Wu Xuefeng was _ugly or something_ ; his personality meshed well with Ye Xiu's as well...so there was honestly nothing preventing Ye Xiu from giving it a try. No, the massive, previously-believed-to-be-unrequited crush he had on his Vice Captain had _nothing_ to do with his acceptance of being a sugar baby, _not at all._ )

(Wu Xuefeng began making plans that very night for their future, including him studying abroad to finish his medical degrees and doctorate before returning to stand by Ye Xiu's side. Ye Xiu was made for Glory, but he was made for Ye Xiu.)

 **【** **Team Excellent Era's Hidden Secret: Their Vice Captain is their Captain's Sugar Daddy.** **】**

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Notes:

[1] _jiānbĭng_ (煎饼) | Pancakes/Crepes with Eggs; usually wrapped around a deep-fried crispy dough slice and topped with fried egg, finely chopped mustard pickles, scallions, coriander, and a spicy sauce.

[2] _yóutiáo_ (油条) | Deep-Fried Dough Sticks; long, brown, deep-fried sticks of dough. You can eat one as it is or dip it in some soybean milk, which has a better taste.

[3] _dòuhuā_ (豆花) | Tofu Pudding; flavors of tofu pudding vary by region. In the north, people like to have salty tofu pudding with soy sauce or salt, or with meat. However, in the south, people prefer the sweet version with ginger and brown sugar syrup.

[4] Chinese Sausage Buns, otherwise known as _làchángbāo_ (腊肠包); made with fluffy steamed buns ( _mántou_ | 馒头), with a satisfyingly savory and salty link of cured Chinese sausage at the core of each bun.

[5] Gong Bao is also known as Kung Po or Kung Pao Chicken (宫保鸡丁)

[6] China has two Golden Weeks, a seven day holiday break. One of them is the Spring Festival (Lunar New Year) Golden Break, while the other is known as National Day Golden Week—which is typically the first week of October.

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Crossposted on **AO3** under **MTKiseki**


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